"Story of Me in 5 Pictures" Activity

Purpose of the Activity

Students will create a digital story, letting teachers and classmates know who they are, by creating a video using only 5 pictures with narration. Goals for the project include: To begin building community on the clusters, students will explore what makes them who they are in the form of a digital story to warm up to writing; to learn to use technology as a creative tool; and to get to know their classmates better and feel more comfortable in class. Download the Activity Outline.

Note to teachers: One of the features of this project is that the limit of 5 pictures and limiting those pictures to coming from FlickrCC helps the students be more creative about their work. Certainly this project could be done with more pictures or with students using their own photographs, but teachers may find the videos are more literal and less focused than when they follow the constraints of this activity. (This is kind of like not being allowed to move the ball in golf - of course you could, but it wouldn't be the same game.)

Activity Outline for Story of Me in 5 Pictures (Understanding By Design format - PDF)

The Process

Total time frame: 7-8 Project Blocks

Step 1: Look at Sample Projects

Time Frame Step 1 & 2 together: 1 Project Block

1. Show students several samples so they will know what the final product of this activity might look like.

Step 1 Resources:

• Dr. Muir's "Story of Me" (m4v - iPod - format, approx 13MB)

Step 2: Brainstorm possible facts to include

Time Frame Step 1 & 2 together: 1 Project Block

1. Have students create a folder on their computer, titled Story of Me, where they will store all the files related to this activity.
2. Have students download the Story of Me Brainstorming Template into their Story of Me folder and rename it adding the student's name or initials.
3. Use the Story of Me Brainstorming template document to have students brainstorm ideas that they might decide to include in their "Story of Me" video. Be sure to have students include their name in the document. You might share a sample brainstorming document to show students what their final product might look like.
4. Have students download the All About Me Picture Prep document to their Story of Me folder and rename it adding the student's name or initials.
5. Use the All About Me Picture Prep document to settle on 5 topics to be addressed in the photo essay. You might show a sample All About Me Picture Prep document.
6. Check the student brainstorm and final 5 topics before going on to Step 3.

Step 2 Resources:

• Story of Me Brainstorming template (Inspiration 7.5)
• All About Me Picture Prep document (Word)
• Dr. Muir's sample brainstorm (pdf)
• Dr. Muir's sample All About Me Picture Prep document (pdf)
• Inspiration: Toolbars and Views
• Inspiration Assessment Rubric
• Activity Summary on brainstorming

Step 3: Copyright, Fair Use & Creative Commons

Time Frame Step 3: 2-3 Project Blocks

1. Ask students if they have ever worked hard to create something. How would they like it if people just took it and used it for themselves without permission? What if this was how you earned your living; would you want people to use it without permission or without paying? Talk a little about copyright and how Creative Commons allows people to use other people's work with permission, just by giving them credit.
2. Have students do the Artists Protecting Art WebQuest. There is a rubric for the student's work built into the WebQuest.
3. Have students read the online comic book Bound By Law? (web site, HTML version, PDF version) Have students discuss what else they have learned about using other people's work in their projects.

Step 3 Resources:

• Activity Summary for student-led discussions.
• Dr. Muir's bookmarks on "Fair Use," and "Copyright," and "Plagiarism."
• Creative Commons information
• Educational Uses of Copyrighted Music
• Copyright and Fair Use Guidelines for Teachers
• Copyright and Fair Use Guidelines for Multimedia (brief version)

Step 4a: Picture Prep

Note: Step 4a and Step 4b can be done interchangeably. They could be done in any order after Step 3.
Time Frame Step 4a: 1 Project Block

1. Show students FlickrCC and demonstrate how to do a search. Show how they might have to try several different key words to get the kind of pictures they want. Discuss how this is partly a creativity project and, although a version of this project might be done with the students' own photographs, they should be looking to use Creative Commons pictures as representations of the ideas they discuss in the narrative.
2. Have students use the All About Me Picture Prep document that they started in Step 2 to brainstorm possible keywords related to their 5 topics. These keywords will be used to search for photos on FlickrCC.
3. Have students use FlickrCC to find pictures for their project. They can find more than they need and settle on 5 later. For each picture that they find, they should copy and paste the attribution information into the All About Me Picture Prep document, and save the picture into their Story of Me folder using the image name listed in the attribution information. You might also show a sample All About Me Picture Prep document, so students can see what the attribution information might look like.
4. Have students decide on which 5 pictures will be used in the project.
5. Check both each student's choice for 5 pictures and their final All About Me Picture Prep document before going on to Step 5.

Step 4a Resources:

• Find Creative Commons pictures at FlickrCC or Flickr Creative Commons
• How to Save Images from the Web

Step 4b: Scripting

Note: Step 4a and Step 4b can be done interchangeably. They could be done in any order after Step 3.
Time Frame Step 4b: 1 Project Block

1. Have students script the narration for the video.
2. Once the script is drafted, have two peer reviews with appropriate revisions, before moving on to Step 5.
3. Check the final draft of the script before allowing students to go on to Step 5.

Step 4b Resources:

• Dr. Muir's sample script (PDF)
• Activity Summary for Peer Design Review (as a possible format for peer review of scripts)

Step 5: Building your Digital Story with Photo Story 3

Time Frame Step 5: 1-2 Project Blocks

1. Follow the steps in the Photo Story 3 Basics document to have students create their digital story using Photo Story 3. Be sure to save the project frequently.
2. Have at least one peer review of the photo essay (and appropriate revisions) before saving as a video.
3. Have students save their completed project as a video.

Step 5 Resources:

• Activity Summary for Peer Design Review.
• How to use Photo Story 3 Basics

Step 6: Sharing!

Time Frame Step 6: 1 Project Block

1. Collect all the video files on your computer.
2. Use the projector to share the videos with the class.
3. After showing each video, have students discuss what features did they like? What ideas did they get from that student's video that they would consider including in a future project? What was it about each student's video that helped them learn something about quality work?

Step 6 Resources:

• Activity Summary for student-led discussions.

Issues to be decided by Clusters

• How will the various steps be scheduled and the work shared among the teachers?
• What will the rubric be for this project (use the blank rubric document as a template)? This could be created collaboratively between the students and the teachers (but should happen prior to students starting to brainstorm topics about themselves).

Teacher Resources related to Digital Storytelling

• Mike's Digital Storytelling bookmarks.